Seahawks hold big QB edge over 49ers
San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said he evaluates the quarterback position every week.
That's something Seattle coach Pete Carroll doesn't have to worry about with Russell Wilson, who has guided the Seahawks to two Super Bowls.
Wilson passed for a season-high 339 yards last weekend in a last-second, 30-27 victory at Carolina, giving the Seahawks control of their own destiny in the NFC's wild-card race.
The Seahawks (6-5) play four of their final five regular-season games at home, starting Sunday against the 49ers (2-9), who are 0-6 on the road. San Francisco hasn't won at Seattle since 2011.
The 49ers likely wouldn't be in this fix if quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who guided the team to victories in each of their final five games of the 2017 season, hadn't torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in Week 3.
Shanahan said Monday that Nick Mullens would start Sunday for the fourth straight game, but C.J. Beathard will be at the ready.
"We're playing this year out with (Mullens) and (Beathard) and we'll see how games go," Shanahan said. "We're going to do everything we can to win a game. I know we're preparing with Nick, and if he ever struggled, I'd bring in C.J. We'll see how it goes."
Mullens struggled in his first road start, a 27-9 loss Sunday at Tampa Bay, completing 18 of 32 passes for 221 with one touchdown and two interceptions. He was sacked four times.
"I don't think he played very well, just looking at some of our situations, but that wasn't all on him," Shanahan said.
Trailing 13-6 early in the third quarter, the 49ers drove inside the Tampa Bay 1-yard line but had to settle for a field goal.
"It's frustrating. We definitely had our chances and didn't take advantage of them," Mullens said. "That starts with me."
The Seahawks try to take advantage of opponents with their league-leading rushing offense, which had a seven-game streak of 150-plus yards. However, last week at Carolina, with the Seattle ground game limited to 75 yards, the Seahawks turned to Wilson.
Wilson threw for two touchdowns, including a 35-yard strike to David Moore on fourth-and-3 late in the fourth quarter that pulled Seattle even at 27-27, and drove the Seahawks into field-goal range for Sebastian Janikowski's 31-yarder on the final play.
"We have star receivers out there on the flank, we have tight ends that can catch, we've got running backs that can catch. We have guys that can protect really well. So there is nothing we really can't do," Wilson said. "We want to play tough, physical football. We also want to be explosive in the passing game, spread the ball around."
The Sunday game also features the return of cornerback Richard Sherman to Seattle, where he starred for seven years before signing with the 49ers in the offseason.
Sherman is still bitter that the Seahawks let him move on while he was recovering from an Achilles injury.
"You just expect after you've done so much for a franchise that they wouldn't cut you while you're hurt," Sherman said Thursday. "It's kind of more respect thing than anything, but they did, so you've kind of got to roll with the business."
--Field Level Media
